BA (Hons) Journalism

This degree is designed for students pursuing a career in journalism. It provides highly relevant education and proficiency in print, broadcast and online journalism and relevant studies in humanities, such as politics and the history of journalism.

Non-EU

UCAS code

Application period

Who is it for?

This degree is designed for students interested in pursuing a career in journalism.

Objectives

Journalism education at City has a real-world emphasis.

This course prepares graduates for the best jobs in the sector. You will learn skills such as reporting a speech, presenting a radio news broadcast, interviewing and preparing page layouts on screen and producing news and feature stories.

Journalism is concerned with the clear communication of information and ideas. This course provides students with a firm grasp of a wide range of multimedia platforms. These technologies, both old and new, affect how stories are identified, researched and presented. Students develop enduring journalistic attributes, including a critical understanding of historical background, analytical ability and intellectual curiosity, inherent in a university education.

GCSE: A minimum of grade 4(C) in GCSE English and Maths or Statistics.

Other suitable qualifications

BTEC: DDD

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ): We welcome applications that include the EPQ. Where relevant, this may be included in our offer, resulting in an 'A' level offer reduced by one grade.

We value and practise inclusivity – those predicted lower grades but who can show evidence of involvement or aptitude in journalism are likely to be invited to interview.

Interview

Suitable applicants can expect to be invited for interview. If you’re able to come to City in person, you will be invited to a selection day at which you will take a written test and meet tutors and current students. We can find out more about you, your knowledge of news and current affairs and your reasons for wanting to study journalism and you will have an opportunity to find out more about studying journalism at City, University of London. If you’re applying from outside the UK, we can schedule an interview by Skype or telephone.

We welcome applications from mature students, those from under-represented backgrounds and those who can demonstrate aptitude and experience of media and journalism in its broadest sense.

Undergraduate preparatory courses for international students

If you do not qualify for direct entry, you may wish to take a foundation programme first. These programmes are designed to prepare students for entry to City's undergraduate courses.

INTO City, University of London

Don’t meet the entry requirements? INTO City, University of London offers a range of academic and English language programmes to help prepare you for study at City, University of London. You’ll learn from experienced teachers in a dedicated international study centre.

English language programmes

Don’t meet the English language requirements? INTO City, University of London offers English language programmes to help prepare you for study at university. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to degree courses.

Applications for degree courses must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). You can apply through your school or college using the Apply system, which enables you to submit your application directly to the UCAS website.

You can apply to up to five universities or institutions on the form. The UCAS code for City, University of London is C60.

Please take care to enter the correct course code when applying, particularly for subjects with a Foundation year or with BEng (Hons) and MEng (Hons) or BSc (Hons) and MSci (Hons) options.

UCAS has implemented an ‘invisibility of choices’ policy so that, on the initial application and while you are receiving decisions, each institution can see only their entry and not those of other institutions you have chosen. This ensures that your application for a course at City is considered solely on your academic and personal qualities.

You should submit your completed application form to UCAS with a £23 application fee. If you want to apply to City, University of London only, you can make a single choice application at a reduced rate of £12.

When to apply

Your application for entry in September 2018 should arrive at UCAS between September 2017 and 15th January 2018. Applications that arrive after 15th January 2018 will be considered only at City’s discretion.

When your application is acknowledged by UCAS, you will be sent a personal identification number so that you can access your records via Track on the UCAS website.

Enquiries

For general enquiries about the admissions process at City, please contact our Admissions Office:

More about fees

*The tuition fee for UK and EU students is determined by the UK Government and was £9,250 for the first year of study at City in 2017/18. The tuition fee for students commencing their studies in 2018/19 has not yet been confirmed: we will update these pages as soon as we receive confirmation. Fees in each subsequent year of study may be subject to an annual increase limited to the Student Fees Inflation Index as determined by the UK Government's Office for Budget Responsibility. However, this is subject to confirmation. The index is derived from the All Items Retail Prices Index. If fees do increase in each subsequent year of study, we will confirm any change to the annual tuition fee to you in writing prior to you commencing each subsequent year of study. Fees in each subsequent year of study will be subject to an annual increase limited by the All Items Retail Prices Index.

** The tuition fee for Non-UK/non-EU students was £16,830 for the first year of study in 2018/19. Each subsequent year of study may be subject to annual increase, as detailed above for UK and EU students, but this is also subject to confirmation.

Future Finance Loans

Future Finance offers students loans of between £2,500 and £40,000 to help cover tuition fees and living expenses. All students and courses are considered. All loans are subject to credit checks and approval for further details please visit the City Finance website.

Student views

Students talk about what it is like to study BA in Journalism

Placements

There are many opportunities to develop skills and gain experience through student journalism at City.

Students can also choose to spend their third year undertaking a work placement or period of work experience in industry.

Recent work experience and internships offered to our students include:

AFP (live commentaries on the Rugby World Cup 2015, and Football World Cup 2014)

Sky News

Sky Sports

The Times

Reuters

The Telegraph

The Mail Online

Men's Health Magazine - journalist internship

Prospect Magazine

New York Times summer internships

Study abroad

The department has partnerships with many international institutions and you may have the opportunity to spend your third year studying abroad. We have strong links with Universities such as:

Learn a language for free

Teaching and learning

Journalism teaching has a practical emphasis. You will spend much of your time in small workshops learning skills such as reporting a speech, presenting a radio news broadcast, interviewing and preparing page layouts on screen.

During the three years of your BA Journalism degree you will produce news and feature stories regularly. As professional work experience is the key to getting a job in journalism, you are expected to arrange a variety of placements during your degree and we advise on setting this up.

lectures by visiting speakers from various journalistic, political and campaigning backgrounds

production of magazines/broadcast bulletins/websites

independent study/research/library work

work attachments (recorded and evaluated)

freelance work

production of portfolios of work

presentations to seminars

examinations and assignments under controlled conditions

Assessment methods

Assessment is weighted towards coursework, and coursework assignments are submitted weekly. Coursework is usually worth between 60 and 75 per cent of the overall module, and the examination worth 25 per cent, although this varies across modules. For the humanities courses such as politics and history, the assessment is split 50-50 between coursework and examination.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

The balance of assessment by examination, practical examination and assessment by coursework will to some extent depend on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessment, based on 2016/17 entry is as follows:

Year 1

39% written, 26% practical, 35% coursework.

Year 2

6% written, 3% practical, 91% coursework.

Year 3

24% written, 0% practical, 76% coursework.

Assessment weightings by year

Year 1: 0%

Year 2: 33%

Year 3: 67%

Modules

Some modules are assessed completely by coursework, while others require a combination of coursework and examination.

Coursework includes news reports and features in all media formats, presentations, portfolio content, individual and group projects and essays

Core modules include:

Writing and reportage (30 credits)

Multimedia production (30 credits)

Power without responsibility (15 credits).

In the second year, Journalism students can also choose from a wide range of options such as visual journalism, data journalism, humanitarian communication, sports journalism, political scandals and shorthand.

Overall workload

The practical journalism subjects will be taught in seminars, workshops, and one-to-one copy clinics. You will undertake individual research using electronic resources and libraries and through contacting and interviewing newsworthy people. Approximate study time, based on 2016/17 entry is as follows:

Career prospects

Recent graduates have gone on to work at the BBC, BBC World Service, BBC Sport, The Sun, Metro, Associated Press, Argus Media, The Daily Express and Daily Star websites, the Cabinet Office Digital Media Team, the Economist Educational Foundation, Middle East Eye, The Stage and other websites and magazines in the UK and abroad.

Related courses

This joint degree focuses on media and communication, which are central to…

Journalism

UCAS code: P500

Application Deadline

15th January 2018

Applications for degree courses must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). You can apply through your school or college using the Apply system, which enables you to submit your application directly to the UCAS website.

You can apply to up to five universities or institutions on the form. The UCAS code for City, University of London is C60.

Please take care to enter the correct course code when applying, particularly for subjects with a Foundation year or with BEng (Hons) and MEng (Hons) or BSc (Hons) and MSci (Hons) options.

UCAS has implemented an ‘invisibility of choices’ policy so that, on the initial application and while you are receiving decisions, each institution can see only their entry and not those of other institutions you have chosen. This ensures that your application for a course at City is considered solely on your academic and personal qualities.

You should submit your completed application form to UCAS with a £23 application fee. If you want to apply to City, University of London only, you can make a single choice application at a reduced rate of £12.

When to apply

Your application for entry in September 2018 should arrive at UCAS between September 2017 and 15th January 2018. Applications that arrive after 15th January 2018 will be considered only at City’s discretion.

When your application is acknowledged by UCAS, you will be sent a personal identification number so that you can access your records via Track on the UCAS website.

Enquiries

For general enquiries about the admissions process at City, please contact our Admissions Office:

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